Making a living as an artist comes with challenges that’s for sure. It can take years for artists to reach a point in their career where they have enough reliable income to live on through sales of their art alone.

Here at Fleurieu Arthouse, many of our resident artists also run regular classes or workshops as a way to augment their sales.

Teaching workshops is a fantastic way to share your skills and to tap into a new revenue stream. If you’ve been thinking about running a workshop but have held back due to self doubt, lack of time or one of the many other valid issues creatives might encounter, then read on!

How to prepare for teaching an art workshop

We use the word “art” loosely because there are many creative practices which can be shared to willing participants via practical workshops or regular classes. In short, creative workshops don’t always need to involve painting, drawing or more traditional artistic practices but can encompass many disciplines.

Whether you’re a fine artist, a ceramicist, jeweller or textile artist, there will be a creative, engaging way in which to pass on your skills to a those keen to learn more about your practice.

Connecting with people who wish they could further their artistic skills is easy when you have the support of an established venue. Through Fleurieu Arthouse’s newsletter, website and social media channels, artists can gather new followers of their own in addition to getting those all-important first bookings for workshops.

Preparing to teach a workshop is the first stage in your journey - research is half the battle and once you have established what you’re actually going to teach, you can look at the practical issues at hand.

Choosing a project for your students to embark on shouldn’t be too difficult. You’ll probably notice that people who come across your work will often express interest in the same type of pieces, or you’ll find people repeatedly asking about the specific techniques which you use in your work.

From those questions, you can work out which type of project people would be most interested in. Participants generally enjoy workshops where they can complete a full piece over the course of one session.

This means they get to take their creation home with them which is a big attraction for many people as not only do they get to enjoy learning a new skill or two but they also have something beautiful to show for their labours. Concentrating on one finished piece also keeps things simple for you and you will be able to easily time the sessions so you’re prepared when it comes to booking your venue.

For some artists, facilitating a workshop where participants complete a finished piece might introduce logistical issues - what about pottery which needs firing for example? Or glassware which needs to be fused? In cases like these, you can simply ask participants to return to the venue the following week to collect their work once you’ve completed the final parts of the process in your own studio or workspace. Be sure to advertise this as a fact when you publicise your workshops though - visitors from out of state might not be able to return easily.

Running a trial workshop

If you’ve never taught a workshop before, then you’ll possibly be a little nervous about your first one - that’s totally reasonable, it’s untrodden ground and nobody enjoys feeling lost when embarking on a new project.

One of the best ways around this is to run a trial workshop. A trial workshop is just that; a first effort during which you can experiment, measure the materials used and also time the different processes which your students will be working through.

A trial is a great way to just generally get a feel for teaching and to iron out any little issues which might crop up before you welcome your first paying students.

Ask family, friends and friends-of-friends to volunteer for your trial workshop; run it in a suitable space where you can feel relaxed and there’s enough room for all equipment and necessary tables and seating.

Trials are also the perfect opportunity to cost your workshop. You will need a good idea of how much you will spend on materials, venue, refreshments if necessary and of course - your time and expertise!

How to promote your art workshop

Whether you’ve got a solid following on social media and know your way around Instagram or not, one thing’s for sure - if you want bookings for your workshop or classes you’ll need to promote it.

The best way to sell your tickets is via an app such as Eventbrite, ClassBento or Humanitix. These allow you to create an event on their website and they then handle the sales of your tickets. A small charge may apply.

Once you’ve created your event on the ticketing app, you can share your ticket link with the team at Fleurieu Arthouse and we’ll then be able to promote it further.

We actively promote our workshops on both social media and our website. Because we have a large and active following on social media, you’re already off to a head start if you hold a workshop in our space.

In addition to posting about your workshop on your own social media channels, be sure to share the event with other artists in your networks who may be kind enough to share the event. Instagram and Facebook are the most commonly used platforms for promoting events but you can diversify and add your events to your personal blog and your LinkedIn profile.

Use hashtags, always respond quickly to any questions from interested parties and stay on top of any queries about the event which may come in through your various channels.

It’s vital to stay active on your posts because people are more engaged when you’re present and chatting with them as they comment.

Don’t disregard print media - small flyers or posters can be an effective way to find new audiences for your workshops. Put them up close to your venue so locals can learn about what you’re planning. Small shopping centres will often have a community notice board, as will libraries, community centres and cafes.

Include photographs of what your participants can expect to create and ensure you state whether the workshop is for beginners or intermediate students.

How Fleurieu Arthouse helps

Here at Fleurieu Arthouse we have a dedicated team who are on hand to help with planning and publicising your event or workshop. Through our social media channels and website, we support artists each step of the way. Working in a warm and welcoming environment which is already filled with practicing artists is a great way to extend your connections and join a community of creatives already established in the heart of McLaren Vale.

If you are interested in becoming part of our community and booking a space for workshops or other events, do get in touch.

Bringing your art into the public realm can be so much more than exhibiting - prepare to share and grow with Fleurieu Arthouse.

By Lindsay Nightingale